Bring You Back to Me
by Dziemian86
Summary: Picks up after Peeta returns to D13 hijacked and attacks Katniss. What if she had decided to help him recover instead of abandoning him. Rated M for upcoming chapters.
1. Chapter 1-Meeting at Midnight

I awaken in a panic, grabbing at the contraption on my neck. Before I can rip it from my body two hands grab my wrist to stop me.

"Peet…" I force from my throat "Pee-ta" I continue to fight against the hands that are holding me.

"Take it easy, Peetas' going to be alright" Haymich steps out from the corner of the room around the doctors and nurses trying to examine and restrain me. "but there is something we need to explain." His eyes are sad and I can tell by the twitch in his fingers that he is itching for a drink at this moment.

Peeta is hijacked, he explains. The capital used the tracker jacker venom to alter the memories of me and make me seem life threatening to him. They let me see him, once I was able to walk, through an exam room window. Yelling and thrashing as they try to convince him that the images he has of me in his mind are all a capital creation. How could this happen? How could I have let this happen to him? If I would have never left him that night in the arena, Peeta would have been safely in my arms.

I spend the next few weeks in my hospital room recovering from my injuries. Not by my own choice of course. If it were up to me I would have let him finish me off. That wouldn't have gone over too well with Coin though. Wouldn't want the precious Mockingjay to be anything less than in perfect condition. Once I am released I go back to my routine of hiding in various storage closets or abandoned tunnels.

One evening after sneaking off from the compartment I share with my mother and prim I pass through the hospital where I had been held. The lights in the hallways are out with only the glow of the exit signs to guide my way. Once I reach the end of the hall I notice a room through the window of the large metal door. I see a medical chart sitting in a tray outside the door. Picking up the chart I run my fingers over the name on the front.

'Mellark, Peeta'…He is here, in this room. I open the chart and scan over the notes. "…Patient experiencing extreme hallucinations associated with the individual, Katniss Everdeen. Shows aggression and fear responses when shown images of said individual…" He fears me, and wants to hurt me. I close the chart and place it back in the tray when I notice movement from inside the dark room. A figure is rolling over in their bed trying to get comfortable in while they sleep. It has to be Peeta. He settles on his other side and stills again. Hesitantly, I reach out and grab the doorknob and twist it slowly. Once it is turned completely I realize the door isn't locked. I don't know what makes me do it but I carefully push the door open a crack. Peeta is still lying unmoving in his bed. With my heart beating rapidly in my chest I push the door further until I am able to slip through. I turn back towards the door and gently push it closed with a click.

"Here to finish me off, sweetheart?" I freeze at the voice, pressing my forehead to the door with both my hands still gripping the doorknob. I let go and slowly turn to see him sitting up in his bed, blue eyes meeting mine.

"No" I manage to reply with a crack in my voice. "I just wanted…needed, to see you." Wondering if he remembers the last time he startled me with that statement. My eyes scan over his body. He is dressed in a grey t-shirt and dark grey sweat pants. I can see one of his arms restrained to the bed frame. His bruises have cleared from his face and he has put on a little weight since I saw him last.

"That's hard to believe." He states with a venomous tone. "You just want us all dead, you filthy mutt!" Tears threaten my eyes and I step back pressing into the door. I shake my head allowing the tears to fall down my cheeks.

"No, Peeta, I would never…." I argue back.

"You're a liar!" He shouts back at me. His arm starts pulling against the restraint holding him to the bed. "You're a liar, a blood thirsty mutt, and someone needs to kill you!" I gasp at the what he is saying. It's like I've been punched in the gut. This isn't Peeta. Not my Peeta. The Peeta that held me so many nights on the train, his arms comforting me from my nightmares. The same Peeta that kissed me so passionately on the beach in the Quell. Maybe this is my punishment for breaking his heart, for taking his love for granted, for realizing too late what I had all along? I take a deep breath a find strength within myself. I'm not going to let Snow take him from me. I'm not going to let go of my boy with the bread. I'm going to fight to bring him back…or die trying.

"Peeta, it's not real. What you think, what they told you, it's not real. Please remember, please!" I take a hesitant step forward towards his bed.

"NO! Don't come near me!" He shouts "I'll kill you, you mutt, stay away from me!"

"I'm not going to hurt you, Peeta, I would never hurt you. You have to believe me. It's not real!" Taking another step I see him start to shake still trying to free himself from the restraint. "Just come back to me."

"Help! Somebody Help!" He starts to yell. I lung forward and put my hand over his mouth not wanting any of the doctors or nurses to find me here.

"Shhh, Peeta, please…ahh!" Suddenly, he grabs my body with his free hand and slams me down on my back across his bed throwing his body over me. My eyes go wide with fear. "Peeta, please remember, plea…umf" He slaps me across the face silencing me. I grab my cheek and try to wiggle free from beneath him. He has me pinned under his weight.

"Shut up you mutt. I don't want to hear your lies anymore." His free hand clenches around my throat pressing into my windpipe.

"No, Peeta, please….I love you!" I choke out in desperation. He freezes staring into my eyes. His eyes dilate then return to normal. I wiggle my body under him again in an attempt to free myself again. He draws his hand back from my throat as if he was burned.

"What did you say?" He questions, his body still pinning mine beneath him.

"I said, I love you Peeta." I repeat quietly as the tears fall freely down my cheaks. "Even if you kill me now, at least you know the truth." He grabs the sides of his head with both hands and closes his eyes, letting out a roaring groan from his throat.

"I just can't…I don't know what's real anymore!" He says frustrated. "You say you love me and part of me wants to snap your neck, right here, right now, but another part of me wants to just…kiss you!"

"Then do it…Kiss me." I say quickly, afraid of what I've just asked. He opens his eyes and slowly drops his hands from his head. He stares into my eyes for what seems like hours before leaning back over my body, his lips so close to mine. He must feel my heart beneath him beating so rapidly? His breath hitches as I close my eyes and brush my lips over his in a feather light touch. He captures my lower lip between his and pulls back slowly releasing it. I meet his lips again parting my lips to allow him entrance. His tongue glides across mine once and I feel a fire building in the pit of my stomach. I slide both of my hands up his arms feeling the curves of his muscles letting one hand slide up to tangle in his golden curls, pulling him closer. Our kiss, which started out hesitant, quickly builds into something more. I feel the fire building within me as our kisses become more passionate. I try to press my thighs together to relieve the pressure building there, but when I do I feel him, hard, pressed against my leg. He takes in a sharp breath and presses back against me. My legs involuntarily open for him, as if my body knows what my mind doesn't yet and he presses into me again causing me to moan into his mouth. Peeta responds to this by bucking himself into me again and again. I grind my center back into him each time creating a rhythm of pleasure, whispering his name as he presses hot, wet kisses down my neck and behind my ear. I feel a tension like a rubber band pulling from my slick center to the pit of my stomach. Peeta's breath quickens, he must feel it too. He rubs against me a few more times and we are both pulled over the edge. His forehead presses into my shoulder as we catch our breath and I can feel him start to cry.

"Get Out." He whispers into my neck.

"What?" I question. He sits up and scoots away from me.

"Get Out!" He says more forcefully, his face forming the look of disgust. "Get Out!" He yells at me and that's when I break. I jump from the bed turning to run out the door, not daring a glance back. I can hear him still yelling as I sprint down the hall and when I round the corner I slam into someone else. I look up to see who I've run into and I panic when I see that it's Haymitch.

"What are you doing down here?" He accuses. I open my mouth to answer but nothing comes out. I take a step back, still hearing Peeta yelling at me from down the hall. Haymitch takes in my state. Tear stained cheeks swollen lips and tussled hair and starts to speak, but before he can start I make my way around him and run as fast as I can back to my compartment. I am embarrassed, humiliated, and broken. I thought I could bring him back to me, but I should have known I could never be that special.


	2. War on the Inside

No one asks me about the bruise on my cheek. It's been almost a week and its turned an ugly shade of yellow and brown in its healing. I've avoided mirrors in hopes I wouldn't be reminded of the humiliating event that produced the offending bruise. I know my mother and Prim have noticed it the few times our paths have crossed. They both let their eyes flick down to take a once-over and then continue as if it isn't there. They are both working in a hospital and I'm sure they can take a few guesses as to how this happened. I'm not sure sneaking into Peeta's room in hopes to, well, I'm not even sure I know what I was hoping to accomplish, would fall into that list. No one asks and I don't talk about it.

I'm headed to my training when I feel a tug on my arm and I'm pulled into a hallway out of line with the others headed down. I pull my arm away and spin around ready to defend myself when I recognize my snatcher.

"Gale!" He is holding both his hands up in front of him in surrender.

"I'm sorry, I haven't seen you in a week, I heard you were released a few days ago, but I was busy with training, wait, what happened to your face?" He steps forward as if to take my face in his hands but I take another step back from him pressing myself into the wall.

"Nothing, its nothing." I try to shrug off but I know Gale isn't going to let this go. "It was nice to see you Gale but I have to get to training and I don't want to be late." He narrows his eyes and gives me a look as if to protest, but before he can start I swiftly turn on my heals and dart back in the direction the rest of my group was heading. As I sprint towards the group, finally reaching them and falling in line, I know that Gale isn't going to let this go. I should have just lied and made up a story, but I'm a terrible liar, Peeta has told me so himself, before, when he would say little things that made me think he knew me better than myself. Now, his heart has been turned to stone at the very mention of me.

I hadn't checked in on him or his progress after the incident. I was foolish to think that offering myself to this delusional version of Peeta could ever bring back my sweet, warm, caring boy with the bread. No one has come to me with information on him either. I'm sure Haymitch saw to that. Hearing Peeta screaming at me as I ran from his room probably solidified the idea that I should stay away from him.

I throw myself into training today just to keep my mind off all that has happened. I practice my bow on some moving targets that have been provided. By the time I'm done, I'm exhausted and ready to head to lunch. I head back to my compartment to shower and change before dinner. As the water from my shower cascades down my body I close my eyes and think back to my encounter with Peeta. While I was lost in his lips and the feel of his body it felt as if I had my Peeta back again. The Peeta that was so good and so sweet, not this monster that the Capital had created. I thought I could bring him back to me again but I only made things worse. As I think about how much I miss having Peeta I let the tears fall down my face letting them blend with the streams of water washing over my body.

I choke back sobs as I turn off the water and step out of the shower and wrap my body in a towel. As I swing open the door and step out into my compartment I freeze. Standing before me, with a mop of dishwater blonde hair, strong arms and striking blue eyes is not Peeta. My heart had dropped to my stomach the moment I saw him thinking that it was Peeta, my Peeta, standing in my room wringing his hands as he waited for me. That feeling passed and turned into something else, curiosity maybe, when my mind caught up and I registered who was waiting for me.

"Rye?" I wrap my towel a little tighter realizing the state of my undress before the older brother of the boy I have tied my heart to. "What are you doing here?" Then a thought comes to me. Why _is_ he here? The only reason he would be here would have to do with Peeta. "Is it Peeta? Has something happened?" I feel the panic rising in my voice.

He gives a familiar smirk, one I saw often when Peeta was amused by something I said or did. My heart leaps at seeing that smirk again, even if it is not on the boy I associate it with. It warms me and gives me a familiar feeling in the pit of my stomach.

"No, Peeta is fi….well he's ok I guess…still not himself, but ok I guess." He looks down sadly then flicks his eyes back up to mine as I wait for him to continue. "He uh…Katniss…I know something happened. He won't tell me what, but I know you had something to do with it, and he won't talk to me so I came here to talk to you."

I take a step back, water droplets from my freshly showered hair dripping down my shoulders. "How do you…" I quickly rephrase my question not wanting to give anything away. "Rye, what makes you think I had to do with anything. I haven't seen Peeta since he was rescued and tried to…oh I don't know….kill me." I quickly turn my back to Rye and head to my dresser, pulling open drawers and searching for clothes. If I'm going to have this conversation with him I would rather be clothed.

"Katniss, don't bullshit me, I know you went to see him and I know something happened when you did. He's become so confused. One minute he's talking about ripping your head off then the next moment your clothes." I turn quickly clutching my clothes to my chest and see the smirk return to his face.

"I don't know what you're talking about Rye, and if you would excuse me I need to get dressed." I stomp out of the compartment area and back into the bathroom and slam the door behind me. I toss my clothes on the closed toilet and lean over the sink, both hands gripping the edge, to catch my breath. I immediately hear Rye knocking on the door.

"Katniss, just tell me what happened so I can help him. He's so confused and I don't know what to do." I start moving again dressing quickly, trying not to listen to Rye. "He's all I have and I just want him to be him again…you know?" I throw my shirt over my head quickly as I finish dressing and throw open the door to be met with Rye face to face.

"Yes, Rye, I know…more than you think." I take a deep breath and move around him and plop down on the end of my bed as he turns expectantly. "I wish, more that anything, that I could change all of it and make him better again, but I can't." Rye looks at me narrowing his eyes, waiting for me to answer his questions. "Your right, I did go to see him, and yes, something did happen…for a moment I thought he was back, that I had brought him back….but I was wrong, I couldn't." His eyes widen and he runs his hands through his hair as he starts to pace.

"I think you should try again…see him again…tonight." I look up at him narrowing my eyes.

"Did you not hear me? I tried, I failed, I can't fix him, I can't bring him back." My voice cracks and I try to hold back my tears.

"You have to try again. He may be confused, but he is remembering again Katniss, don't you see? Whatever happened between you two is bringing all his memories to the surface. The real Peeta is cracking through whatever they made him. The real Peeta is fighting to come back." I look at him shocked as he stops his pacing and takes my shoulders. "He has been arguing with himself, that's how I know you had seen him, he is literally at war with himself." He looks me straight in my eyes, searching for some sign that I would help. "Please Katniss, I know this will help him, I just know it. I just want my brother back and I know you want him back too." I take a deep breath and close my eyes. Can I do this? Can I continue to see him and try to bring him back? What if what happened last time happens again; will he kill me this time? He was so disgusted with me last time. Can I put myself through that again?

"Fine, ok, I'll see him again. But I don't know how? They have him locked away and it was pure luck I didn't get caught last time." He smiles bigger than I've ever seen and throws his arms around me, gathering me in a tight hug.

"Thank you, thank you Katniss, I know this is going to help him. Don't worry about the details, I'll take care of everything, just show up at the hospital at 10 o'clock and don't worry about anything." He quickly steps back, letting me go, turning towards the door and rushes from the room but not before turning back to me and repeating "10 o'clock Katniss, please be there." I don't know how he is going to take care of it, but he seems so confident. I have a thought and a grin appears on my lips 'He is just like Peeta, always having a plan up his sleeve.'

I show up at the hospital that night at 10, my body shaking from nerves. As I laid in bed that night, waiting for my mother and sister to fall asleep I waivered back and forth, not knowing if I could actually go through with this. Ultimately, I slipped out of bed and out of the room resolved to see this through.

I slip through the halls of the hospital making my way towards Peeta's room, listening for anyone that might catch me. As I reach his door my hand hovers over the doorknob not knowing if I should try it or not. I take a breath, close my eyes and slowly turn the knob, hearing it click as the door opens. Pushing it open slowly I step inside the room and click the door shut behind me leaning my body against it as I catch my breath. I can hear my blood pounding in my ears. The room is dark and I can see Peeta laying on the hospital bed sleeping beneath the covers. I take a few steps towards his bed and Peeta starts to stir and sit up. I freeze in my spot and wait to see if he starts yelling at me but to my surprise as he sits up and looks at me not moving.

"Katniss" He breaths my name and a smile breaks out across his face.

 **What will happen next? Will Peeta come back to himself or will he throw her out again?**

 **Leave Reviews, I'm working on the next chapter. I'm hoping to be able to update on a regular basis from now on.**

 **AN/At this time this story doesn't have a beta so sorry for any mistakes**


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